Plant-based egg substitute and method of manufacture

Abstract

Disclosed herein are non-egg compositions that can be used as egg substitutes. The disclosure is directed to egg substitutes and methods of manufacturing the same, and compositions comprising the egg substitutes, including edible compositions such as baked goods and edible emulsions.

Description

[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 554,928, filed Nov. 2, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 621,425, filed Apr. 6, 2012, the entire contents of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention is directed to an egg substitute and a method of manufacturing the same, and compositions comprising the egg substitute, including edible compositions such as baked goods.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Eggs are a versatile and near ubiquitous food and food component. The market for egg ingredients has been estimated to be $1.8 billion domestically and $6 billion globally, and continues to grow. Eggs are highly valued for numerous reasons. Eggs not only provide high nutritional content, they are also an essential component of a wide range of food products, ranging from, but not limited to: breads, cakes, cookies, custards, souffles, muffins, scones, biscuits, pasta, dressings, sauc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The compositions achieve binding, leavening, and emulsifying properties comparable to eggs, offering a safer, healthier alternative with extended shelf life and versatility in various food products, including baked goods and emulsions, while being free from egg-related allergens and safety concerns.

Problems solved by technology

However, eggs have a number of drawbacks.

For example, eggs contain high levels of cholesterol and saturated fats, which increases risk for cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

Therefore, consumers that desire to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, or are otherwise concerned over maintaining a healthy diet and weight, represent an untapped market for eggs or egg-containing products.

In addition, the industrial scale production of eggs are associated with industrial farming of chickens, which incur high costs, such as, e.g., costs related to food health and safety restrictions for farmers, high transportation costs, and the cost of feeding and housing egg-laying birds.

Furthermore, industrial chicken farming has a negative environmental impact, and raises a number of important humanitarian issues.

Moreover, eggs have limited shelf life, and are at risk of harboring infectious pathogens, such as, for example, Salmonella, E. coli, and other pathogens which may endanger public health.

However, all of these substitutes have certain limitations.

For example, many of the home-based egg substitutes provide only a single limited desired property of eggs in cooking, e.g., mashed fruit provide moisture and binding but not leavening, baking powder / soda and flour / water substitutes provide some leavening but limited binding properties.

Ener-G™ vegan egg substitute, acts as an imperfect substitute for many baking purposes because of its inferior binding qualities.

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